A Different Life
by whitedandelions
Summary: After a long life full of disappointments and betrayals, Harry Potter finds himself half drowned in a lake of a different world. The one who saves him has eyes just like his and a personality that makes Harry dream of a better life. HarryxHiccup. Set after the events of HTTYD2.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Different Life  
Summary: After a long life full of disappointments and betrayals, Harry Potter finds himself half drowned in a lake of a different world. The one who saves him has eyes just like his and a personality that makes Harry dream of a better life. HarryxHiccup.

* * *

The first thing he saw were green eyes. It startled him because well, he didn't know anyone else that possessed the same shade as his. He didn't move, but the owner of the green eyes didn't have the same reservation as him, moving forward to rest a hand on his forehead.

Harry closed his eyes at the contact, finding comfort in that simple act. It reminded him so much of the good things in life, things that no longer belonged to him.

He fell back unconscious with that thought, dreaming of Hermonie and Ron and Hogwarts.

* * *

He woke to lips on his. He startled, groggily blinking his eyes open as his brain struggled to keep up. He didn't know who was above him, but it brought back an instinct in him that he thought was long dead. He lazily circled a hand into the hair of the person above him, drawing the boy closer, and turning the mouth-to-mouth contact into a kiss. The person startled above him, letting out a yelp as he struggled to get free.

Harry reluctantly let him, and watched as the person scrambled back, looking at him with furious eyes. Suddenly, angry words in Norse were being yelled at him, and Harry couldn't help chuckling at the other boy's anger. The boy was wearing armor and looked to be in his early twenties. The most prominent thing about him that Harry noticed was the metal contraption that served as one of his feet.

Harry slowly sat up, looking around the glade and taking in his surroundings. Where was he? They looked to be in a glade, what with the many leafy trees hanging over them and suddenly he realized he was sopping wet still.

He didn't feel his wand on him, but years of experience had taught him how to summon it from many miles away. After being separated with his wand so many times, it became a necessity to find a way to summon it. Concentrating hard, he was able to find out his wand was at the bottom of the lake behind him, and by simply pushing a little bit of magic into his thoughts, his wand came speeding out of the lake and into his hands.

The boy looked startled at the action, and now seemed to be more wary of him as Harry started to raise his wand. He knew he had to hurry before the boy turned hostile. He cast a drying charm on himself and then a temporary language charm. He would need to perform a ritual or learn it the normal way if he wanted to keep his grasp of Norse permanently.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

The boy perked up at his Norse, coming closer to Harry as the words registered, but the wariness stayed in his eyes. There was no recognition of his name, though Harry hadn't expected there to be. He was far away from home after all; people here wouldn't have heard of the Boy who Lived, let alone the Boy who Never Aged.

"Toothless," started the boy, his upper teeth worrying his lower lip. He paused and seemed to struggle to find the words he wanted to say.

"Your parents named you Toothless?"

That startled a laugh from the boy and he paused as if he hadn't expected to find Harry funny. "Er, no, my name's Hiccup."

"That's not much better," Harry ended up offering truthfully, and the boy just laughed at his words before shrugging amicably.

"Well, we're Vikings. We're not known for naming our kids."

Vikings? Were there still Vikings around in this time and age?

"Anyway," the boy started again after an uncomfortable silence, "Toothless says you're not from around here."

"Is Toothless another Viking? You were right when you said your names were a little strange."

Hiccup was shaking his head before Harry even finished talking. "He says you're not from this world."

Harry's blood ran cold at the clarification and he couldn't stop his body from trembling. Flashbacks of being driven out of town over and over again for his rare condition and being told that he was a freak, a monster, dance in front of his eyes and he is once again reminded of the terror he had accidentally unleashed on himself a few decades back.

"I don't know what he told you, but just because I have a condition does not mean I am not human," he informed the boy coldly. He couldn't believe he had been starting to like the boy; he had even thought they could possibly be friends.

"No, no, no," spluttered Hiccup, and Harry knew his cold eyes were panicking the young boy. "Toothless is a _dragon_, he doesn't - he isn't bullying you. He really means what he says."

Harry was startled first at Hiccups hasty reassurance and then surprised completely when Hiccup alluded to the fact that he could talk to dragons.

"You - he - how do you understand him?"

Hiccup sheepishly shrugged at his question, "They don't call me Dragon Conqueror for nothing."

Suddenly, it dawned on Harry that the dragon might be telling the truth. That he may actually be in a different world. "I - Can I meet this Toothless?"

Hiccup smiled at his question before turning to holler the name over his shoulder. Within moments, loud crashing sounds fill the air and suddenly, a black beautiful dragon appeared from behind one of the trees. Toothless was bounding over seconds later and suddenly he was on top of Harry, one paw holding him down as the dragon roared at him.

Harry wasn't scared; he had enough protections in place to protect him from an angry dragon. He locked eyes with the dragon for a very tense moment. With a huff, Toothless backed off. Harry must have passed the test.

"He says that he hasn't met your kind before, but you smell like nothing he's ever smelled before. Kinda like cinnamon? And mint? And something dangerous." Hiccup's voice startled him; he had forgotten the boy was still there in the chaos that was Toothless.

"He was right," offered Harry as an explanation as he made his way back into a standing position. "I'm not from this world and I have an easy way to show you."

He waved his hand, causing a flower near his feet to bloom. A vine curled around his feet and a perfect blossom from a tree above him slowly drifted into his hand. Toothless reared back in shock, while Hiccup's mouth dropped open. Harry smiled at their actions before opening his mouth to speak.

"I'm magic."

* * *

A/N: Is this shameless? Probably :P Mashing two different characters together is probably weird, but I'm really enjoying writing this. I'm just throwing this out there to see if people would be interested in reading this. Please follow/fav/review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

He was floating in an abyss of nothingness. All around him were snippets of his memories; if he looked to the right, he saw his childhood with the Dursleys, to the left were his memories of Hogwarts. He didn't dwell too much on those memories.

Memories of Hogwarts, of his past, were always hard to stomach. It had been so long ago that he was the carefree Harry Potter who had once sacrificed himself to save a world from a man so warped by his evil that he was barely human anymore.

Now he was someone else entirely. He had seen it all and had been so deliciously close to the end when he had woken up from sure destruction. He hadn't felt relief when he had woken up; instead he had felt pure disappointment. He was sure that his long life was coming to the end, but it looked like Fate had a different idea for him.

He was still needed.

Pure golden light streamed down, piercing the darkness and scattering the memories. He watched as the memory of being called 'freak' by the Dursleys flared at the edges, as if it was burning parchment. He felt the tug of a smile coming on at the sight, but it was wiped off just as fast as the entity in front of him materialized.

"Morgana," he murmured as a greeting, and was rewarded with a nod of her regal head.

"Harry," she returned.

"What am I doing here now?" asked Harry exasperatedly as he took in her figure. She was as he remembered, still dark-haired and beautiful as ever, elegance being held in every part of her body. She had a haughty look about her, and it showed in her expression as she looked down at him. He rarely ever saw her smile, but he still knew she was a revered figure in her own right. She wasn't to be trifled with, and Harry knew better than to tussle with her.

"Don't take that tone with me," she chastised and Harry simply shrugged in reply. He knew better, but he was still too old to care about such little matters. The Fates already liked to mess with him, and no amount of bad attitude would change things.

"I thought I was done. I thought that my duty was over and that I could finally join my loved ones on the other side. I was done a long time ago, Morgana, and it's only by yours and the Fates' choice that I'm still here. If I could, I would've offed myself a long time ago."

He could see his words had reached her at the flinch that reverberated throughout her body. He couldn't bring himself to care, instead wryly smiling at her as she struggled to compose herself.

"It was not my choice to keep you alive past your time. But it was my choice to send you here, Harry. You have played the part of Merlin's Knight long enough and it was time to let you have a well-deserved break. Things are different here, Harry, simpler if you could get past the dragons. Think of it as your reward." For the first time, Morgana was wearing the face that she usually showed to worshippers - the one of a Mother that spoke of nurture and love. Most times, she would show up with a sour expression, relating Merlin's wishes and molding him to better fit the job.

It was tedious, their relationship, but it was the longest one Harry had been able to keep, no matter how intermittent their meetings.

Flashes of the one fateful meeting that changed everything danced before his eyes. The Meadow full of everlasting nature. Sunflowers, daisies, and dandelions soft under his bare feet as he walked toward the towering oak tree residing in the center. The feel of the bark under his hands and his forehead as he had knelt to press his head there.

The loud, booming voice that had went to his very magical core.

And destroyed it.

Merlin had rebuilt his core into something that wasn't bound by his world's rules. He had made it overflowing, full of magic either from outside sources or within. There were no barriers between him and Magic. When he had spoke that line earlier to Hiccup and Toothless, he hadn't been lying.

He was Magic. He used a wand only as a pretense, to keep others from truly knowing what an anomaly he was. He could do magic with just a thought, just like Merlin had been able to do so long ago. He had been abysmal at it at first, but decades of practice had taught him how to refine it.

The first time he had used it he had lashed out angrily at the oak tree. He had been in so much pain, his body wracked by the convulsions brought on by the restructuring of his core. His memories were broken apart, scattered and dissected till only a few had remained. Merlin had selected him; he had passed the test and had been chosen as his new Knight.

It wasn't easy, carrying out Merlin's wishes and living his life as Harry Potter. Being Magic, his body became simply a shell, an encasing that was no longer like a regular body. He got scratches, but he didn't bleed. He never got a wrinkle, and Ginny's jealousy at that had been the main reason they had broken up. He was never hungry or sleepy; Magic did enough to sustain him.

And killing those who somehow ended up on the wrong end of Merlin's wrath?

It was done with just a thought.

The pure destruction he could wreak was completely terrifying. He hated the power; he hated that Merlin hadn't even _asked_ if he wanted to accept the Task. He was simply given the 'gift' and expected to spend the rest of his life paying for it.

He never abused his power. He suspected that was the one reason he was still alive today. And because he had become extremely good at carrying out orders. It was something different from the mundane life he had started to live. After all, what was the point of life if nothing _ever_ changed?

"Don't kid around with me, Morgana," he said, wearily, but still kept up a weak smile for her sake. "Merlin never does things without reason, and just because I've been sent to a different world doesn't mean I've given up the mantle of Merlin's Knight. It'll be a long time coming before Merlin decides to let me go."

Morgana sighed at his response, her expression speaking of pity and sadness. "I told him we should have let you go a long time ago. The burden is too much for just one to bear."

Harry shrugged, "I thought I was doing a good job of carrying out his orders."

"Yes, there was never a doubt of that. But at what cost? I'm sorry, Harry," and for the first time Harry could remember, Morgana took his hands into her own. "But we'll make it up to you. Just enjoy your time with the Vikings and the Dragons, and you'll see soon why we have sent you here."

Before he could respond, the piercing lights were gone, and he was again floating in the nothingness.

* * *

When he awoke, he startled awake, sitting up in mere seconds. The person who had been hovering over him reared back, barely missing a collision. It took Harry a while to adjust to the new scenery, and just like hours before, Hiccup's worried face swam into view.

Harry managed a weak smile at the dragon rider, settling into a more comfortable position as he took in his surroundings again. They were still in the glade from earlier, but now it was nearing the afternoon instead of sunrise. He must have fallen unconscious when Morgana had taken him, as she usually did with no regards of where he was in the real world, and had probably scared Hiccup witless.

The boy confirmed his thoughts, "I thought you died! You weren't even breathing and you didn't have a pulse. If it wasn't for Toothless being able to sense something otherworldly was going on, I would have probably buried you."

"Oh, don't feel too be about that," teased Harry, "I would have been able to magic right back out."

Hiccup gave him an unamused glare, prompting a laugh from Harry. "Are you going to explain what just happened?"

"Can't," responded Harry truthfully, "maybe one day they'll let me, but for now, let's just file the incident under magic."

Hiccup huffed, a mock pout on his face, "Fine. I was going to take you back to the village, but then I realized your clothes would probably stand out too much. So I went back and got you some of my old clothes," he paused to gesture over to an outfit laid out upon a large rock near the lake.

Harry murmured his thanks before making his way over to the rock that Hiccup had gestured to. "These clothes don't look like yours," mentioned Harry as he continued to examine the clothes carefully.

There was a short laugh before Hiccup responded. "Well, I need something more durable when I'm on Toothless. Unless you want to become a dragon rider, those clothes should suit you just fine."

Harry gave short chuckle, a smile starting to form on his face. "No, I can fly on my own. I just prefer to keep my feet on the floor.

"Afraid of heights?" teased Hiccup. The man had moved closer to Harry, and although he stayed a short distance away, he settled down, cross-legged on a similar rock mere feet away, leaning back and reclining comfortably.

Harry paused at the question; it evoked something in him that made him pause to think. He hadn't been afraid of anything in a long time. How could he be when he could accomplish things with merely a blink of the eye? He supposed the only thing he _was_ scared of was Merlin, but Hiccup wouldn't know who Merlin was.

"No," he responded eventually, "just scared of catching your particular brand of insanity."

"Hey!" Hiccup shouted, offended. He sat up to shoot a mock glare at the wizard, but the edges were twitching toward a smile. "I'm perfectly normal, thank you very much."

"Uh-huh, you're riding a dragon miles up into the air with no one but Toothless to keep you from plummeting to your death. If that's not insane, then I don't know what is."

"But," protested the brown-haired teen, "it's not really dangerous. I mean, six years in and I'm still alive and kicking. And besides you're magic! You're already not normal."

Harry chuckled, shaking his head fondly at Hiccup's argument, having heard it all before. He turned back to the clothes in front of him, his upper teeth worrying his lower lip as he continued to contemplate his next course of action. In a few more minutes, he came to a decision, and immediately started to strip, starting with the muggle t-shirt that he had arrived in and ending with the tight skinny jeans that he had to shimmy out of. After getting everything off except for his boxers, he turned to lay his old clothes to the right of Hiccup's. He was just settling down to transfigure the clothes to something more to his liking when his concentration was promptly shattered by a splutter from Hiccup. He turned to look at the dragon rider and was rewarded with the sight of a completely red Hiccup. Even the tip of his ears matched the furious flush that was spreading across the boy's cheeks.

"You can't just go around taking off your clothes like that! You gotta warn a guy first!"

Harry stared blankly at the Viking before a huge smile started to spread across his face. Twenty years of age and still so innocent. Hiccup was absolutely, wonderfully _adorable_. "Does my nakedness bother you?" he teased, spreading both of his arms out to the side and laying his chest out to bare. Harry wasn't as shy as he used to be; living as long as he did and knowing it would be forever sort of obliterated any shyness that he used to possess. He loved his body, and he didn't mind showing it off. Especially if he got a red-faced Hiccup every time as a reward.

Hiccup blushed even harder, if that was possible, before closing his eyes and exhaling hard. "You're teasing me," he said in a flat voice after a minute, and Harry couldn't help the short laugh that escaped him.

"I'm sorry," he responded truthfully, "but I can't help but think you're absolutely adorable."

Hiccup flushed again, "Why do you - What - I." The dragon rider trailed off, seeming to be at a loss on how to respond to the obviously more experienced man. "Just put your clothes back on."

"You mean putting _your_ clothes on?" Harry grinned at Hiccup's mock glare; obviously the Viking wanted no more of his teasing and he took the hint, turning to get back to his original task.

He didn't need armor like Hiccup, but that didn't mean he didn't want it. Not for practical uses; any projectile or melee weapon would be thrown away by the shields he had around his person at all times. But armor looked _cool_ and since he had the means to make any kind of clothes out there, he might as well. He fashioned his armor after Hiccup's, and wove in a couple of protection charms and warming charms in the furs. He also lightened the furs to a lighter brown, taking on a red tint and fluffing it out a bit so it would sway in the wind. He also added a hood and fixed the boots so they would fit in more comfortably. It barely took any magic out of him, and it was only a few minutes later that he finished.

He pulled on the clothes, to a whispered 'finally' from Hiccup, prompting Harry to shoot the boy a smug grin. The boy was so cute; he fondly thought back to his younger days when he had just graduated Hogwarts. He wondered if he had ever been so mullish and hot-tempered.

"How do I look?"

Hiccup shrugged, though a smile was playing on his lips. "You look great, though I do take offense to the fact that you changed my clothes so much."

"I can change it back if you want."

Hiccup shook his head, "I'm kidding, I have more than enough spares anyway. Now that you look like one of us, I'm guessing we should head back to the village now? It's almost dark out and I might as well introduce you to Berk before they take you as an enemy."

"Do they do that often? Mistake friends as enemies?"

"Well, let's just say that Vikings don't have the best temperament. You'll see when you meet them."

* * *

Sorry for being so late guys. School really kicked my butt as soon as it started...and I had Chapter 2 all written out but I totally lost the sheets of paper I wrote it on so I lost all my inspiration… But then i got a recent review and my muse suddenly came back. Thank you guest! :)

Sorry for the super weak ending...probably the weakest chapter ending I've written in the longest times haha, but I figured I should get this out before I forget about it...my other stories I have everything written but just won't update haha and I don't want this to happen to this story.

Thank you all for the brilliant reviews/favs/alerts! :D I didn't think this story would get so much attention considering it's a super strange pairing, so thank you! :D.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3  
**some spoilers since this is set after HTTYD2 involving a certain person's disappearance

* * *

It wasn't long before they reached the village. It could have been an even shorter distance, but Harry was adamant on not riding Toothless. He wasn't scared of heights and he did trust Hiccup to keep him safe, but the thought of being miles up in the air made his stomach churn. And besides, he wanted to stretch out his muscles and explore the wilderness around the place.

As time progressed, nature had taken the backburner. Of course there were still the environmental activists and the pleas from candidates running for office, but humans would be humans and wars put everything in perspective. Atomic bombs, gunpowder, and factory production of weapons all but destroyed the nature on Earth. It was hard to find the rare pockets of nature, and it took almost all of Harry's time to keep them safe. It had been one of the reasons the earth was dying out; oxygen just wasn't as readily available as it used to be. And he _knew_ he should have been able to leech out the radiation from the atomic bombs, but Merlin was adamant that he didn't. It was messing too much with the balance of Magic, and although Merlin could vouch for him killing, though never needlessly and always on Merlin's command, the balance of doing something worldwide was something Harry or Merlin could never pay.

There was a certain order to things. He could take magic from his surroundings, but in the process he would drain the things around him to mere husks of their former selves. And normally, a life had to be paid back with a life.

So he was stuck, with power resting at his fingertips, to watch the people of his Earth slowly die. It was agonizing, but he did as much as he could to help.

So to be here now, with nature abound, and vibrant greens bending underneath his shoes and awry vines reaching at his face, it was _almost_ like the paradise Morgana had promised him.

Hiccup startled him out of his thoughts, his back becoming extremely straight and tense as he stopped in his tracks. Harry was about to say something, when he caught sight of what had caused the boy to stop. There was a dragon swooping down toward them at a rapid pace. He wasn't sure if it was a friend or a foe, but considering the tense nature of Hiccup's back, he figured it should be a foe. He was just about to do _something_, maybe stop the dragon in its tracks with a spell, when Hiccup called out a name. Harry immediately relaxed, slipping his hands into his pockets and watching the scene in front of him unfold.

The blue-scaled dragon landed with ease, and within moments, a blonde-haired Viking swung herself off of the dragon. She was dressed similarly to Hiccup, and strangely enough, her outfit contained a lot of similar elements to Harry's as well. Her hair was braided to one side, and her blue eyes were as vibrant as Hiccup's. She was beautiful.

And angry.

She stalked over to Hiccup, her mouth set in a stern frown. "Hiccup," she all but growled, "where have you been?"

Hiccup tensed back up, a mulish pout on his features. "I was at the grove."

"Again!?" she asked exasperatedly, coming even closer to the brunette and stabbing him harshly in the chest with her pointer finger. "Hiccup, you're Chief now! You can't just go off by yourself without telling anyone."

Hiccup flinched at her words, unable to meet her eyes. Instead he exchanged glances with Harry, and after a few seconds, seemed to gather back his resolve. He straightened his back, sending a stern glare back to the girl. "That's right, I'm Chief. I don't _have_ to do anything!"

Astrid seemed shocked at his sudden outburst, but continued on as if he hadn't said a word. "A chief's first priority is his village! You can't just shirk on your duties like this, Hiccup. Your dad would never have done this."

Hiccup's glare was harsh and unforgiving now, his green eyes glinting in the dying sunlight. "But I'm not my dad, Astrid. And it's time you start remembering that."

Astrid flinched at his words, shame coloring her cheeks as she drew away from Hiccup, stepping back a few paces so they were an arm's length away now. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I shouldn't have - "

"Yes, you shouldn't have," was Hiccup's biting reply. They descended into an awkward silence, neither of them willing to budge. They both had stubborn personalities and although Astrid had apologized, the hurt that she had inflicted on Hiccup would take a while to fade.

It was minutes before the silence was broken. Toothless had come bounding through the forest, stepping over twigs and leaves and coming into the open by pouncing onto the blue-scaled dragon. Just like puppies, they started playing around with each other, filling the air with their happy sounds as they rolled around on the forest floor.

A forced, but pained smile made her way onto Astrid's face as she witnessed the scene before her. She turned away from it after a while, bringing her gaze upward and locking eyes with Harry. Shock found its way into her eyes, "Who are you?"

"Harry Potter," he responded, "Hiccup found me in a lake."

"A lake?" asked Astrid, turning her head to look at Hiccup with a confused expression.

Hiccup seemed to force himself out of his stupor, laughing loudly and awkwardly as he brought Harry into a one-armed embrace. "Did he say lake? He's such a joker, isn't he? He's from the neighboring villages. I found him on one of those boats out in the open and rescued him."

Astrid's eyes narrowed into slits, obviously not believing one word coming out of his mouth. Thankfully, she decided to take his words as truth, turning to look at Harry. "I'm Astrid Hofferson, it's nice to meet you." She held out her hand, and Harry took it, and wasn't surprised when she gripped down hard. When he didn't do the same, her eyebrow arched in surprise before turning away. She obviously didn't think him a threat; if she did, Harry was certain she wouldn't let him into the village.

"Hiccup," she said quietly, "I know you don't want me badgering you, but more than ever, the people need you right now. Please, just let me help."

Hiccup's back stiffened, and his smile from earlier slipped off his face, replaced with a slight frown. "You've helped enough," he snapped.

That seemed to be all Astrid could take. She didn't burst into tears, but the hurt was easy enough to see in her eyes. She turned away from Hiccup, making her way over to the now calm dragons. "Come on, Stormwing," she murmured as she made her way onto her dragon. "Let's finish our patrol. I'll see you tomorrow, Hiccup. And Harry? If you try anything in Berk, I will personally kill you myself."

Harry would like to see her try; actually, he would _love_ if she could succeed, but unfortunately, he was immortal and wouldn't die until Merlin allowed him to.

Hiccup spoke up after a while; his eyes had followed Astrid until she was but a speck in the air, "Let's go, we'll have to get you settled in before dark."

"Your people seem friendly," Harry said after a few moments of silence passed.

His candor startled a short laugh from Hiccup, before the boy turned to look at Harry with a small smile. "It's just Astrid, really. The rest of them are a lot friendlier."

"Does everyone here have a dragon?"

Hiccup nodded, taking Harry's hand to help him navigate the trickier areas of the wilderness. Harry took it in stride; he knew his magic would help him stay balanced but it was sweet that Hiccup didn't want him to fall. "From the eldest to the youngest. Everyone has some sort of dragon."

"Should I feel left out if I don't get one?"

Hiccup chuckled, shaking his head as they continued to walk. "Don't feel bad if none of the dragons want you, Harry. Most of them can sense you're from another world and it makes them wary of you. Besides, what happened to not wanting to fly?"

"I didn't say I wanted to fly," he pointed out with a small smile, "but the companionship of an animal is something that shouldn't be underestimated."

"True enough," Hiccup conceded, and it wasn't long before they descended into a comfortable silence.

Harry enjoyed the feel of Hiccup's hand in his. Human contact always made him happy, and even in a different world, this sentiment didn't change. He liked the easy way Hiccup seemed to act around him. He was reluctant to let Hiccup's hand go when they got to flat land, but in the end, he let Hiccup pull his hand away. The environment of wilderness started to fade away, replaced by flat grassy ground and wooden buildings. People were milling about, but when Hiccup got close enough to be seen, they all turned to look at the newcomers.

The villagers all looked at Hiccup with pride shining in their eyes. One of the little girls even ran up to the armor-clad Viking, holding out a red flower in her hands. Hiccup bent at the knees so that they were eye-level, reaching out a hand and petting her head lovingly. "Thank you," he said, sincerely. He went to take the flower from her, but she laughed, shaking her head and then reaching out once again to place the flower behind Hiccup's right ear.

Hiccup blinked, startled, but recovered in the next instant. He chuckled, petted her once more and thanked her again before she ran off back to her parents.

Harry's smile was teasing, "Looks good on you."

Hiccup didn't seem embarrassed at his words, an easy smile on his face. Harry had expected a stammering, blushing Hiccup at his words and was slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to faze the Viking. "We need all the cheer we can get."

Harry didn't say a word, his eyes glancing over the broken wooden buildings further into the distance. They were full of blue-green icicles and he wondered just how they got there. He also calculated how easy it would be for him to remove them and if Hiccup would accept his offer. He spoke up hesitantly, "You know, I could get rid of those for you."

"Rid of what?" asked Hiccup, confusion written across his features as he looked away from the villagers.

"Those icicles," he said, trying to keep his tone casual.

Understanding filtered across the Viking's face, and then Hiccup was firmly shaking his head no. "You shouldn't feel obligated to help us, Harry. We're Vikings. We're strong enough to get through this on our own."

Harry's esteem of Hiccup rose, and he couldn't help the relieved smile that appeared on his face. He still wasn't sure what _exactly_ he was supposed to be doing here in this time, but he somehow doubted it was to make Hiccup's life infinitely easier. He hoped Morgana or Merlin would show up soon to tell him what to do, but for now, he was just enjoying Hiccup's presence.

* * *

Settling in was rather easy. Hiccup's house had two bedrooms, but Hiccup had looked distressed when he had offered the larger one to Harry. It made him uneasy, so he had easily declined, Conjuring up a comfy bed in the common room. Hiccup looked like he was going to protest, but a second later deflated, looking relieved.

They ended up sharing a meal for dinner, talking animatedly about Magic. Hiccup was the curious sort, and filled up a whole notebook with Harry's words. They spent the better part of the night doing that, and Harry didn't mind weaving his stories into the air when he had Hiccup's sparkling eyes as a reward.

It was nearing midnight when Hiccup let out a loud yawn. "Tired?" asked Harry, and laughed when Hiccup shook his head, stifling another yawn as he did. "I'll be here tomorrow," he gently reminded the Viking.

"I know," the Viking sleepily replied, "but you're so interesting. I never would've imagined Magic being real."

Harry hummed a bit in response, thinking over his options before replying. "I was planning to go when you fell asleep, but if you're interested, you can accompany me if you want."

"Accompany you to where?" asked Hiccup, his tone wary, but his expression open and curious.

"I need some materials for a ritual. I'm not exactly sure if your world would have the ones I need, but I'm hoping I could find them out in the wilderness."

"You were planning to go out into the wilds alone?" asked Hiccup, obviously worried. "That's not very safe, Harry."

Harry leveled him an unimpressed look, "Magic, remember? I doubt anything can hurt me out there."

Hiccup didn't look too convinced, "I don't think dragons are affected by Magic. You're not in your world anymore, Harry."

Harry stared blankly at Hiccup's worried look, somewhat offended, but mostly touched that Hiccup was worried about him. He hadn't had anyone worry about him for a long time, and it felt strange to have someone looking at him the way Hiccup was. It stirred up memories better left forgotten, and he turned away from the sight, biting his lower lip in consternation. He didn't particularly feel like outlining his role as Merlin's Knight, and instead wanted to leave Hiccup in the dark so that the younger boy would continue worrying about him.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said when the silence got to be too much. "That might have been rude."

Harry shook his head, a wry smile on his face, "I'm not offended, I'm touched, Hiccup. I _do_ need a big strong Viking to protect little ol' me, after all."

Hiccup laughed, startled, "Then you probably don't want me then because I'm hardly big and strong."

"I beg to differ," said Harry, "Have you seen your muscles?"

Hiccup flushed, and Harry leered causing Hiccup to compose himself and shoot him a glare. "Not very funny, Harry. Don't tease me."

"I'm not," he said, innocently. "Wouldn't dream of it really."

Hiccup sighed before standing up and stretching to work out the kinks from sitting too long in once place. Harry watched, delighted as Hiccup's undershirt rode up and he could see more of the Viking's abs. Hiccup didn't notice, turning to shrug on the armor that he had set aside when they had settled down for dinner. "Well, it's getting rather late, we might as well go get your materials."

Harry's mouth felt dry, so he simply nodded. Hiccup smiled at him, and Harry took his hand, letting Hiccup pull him up from his resting position.

When they got near the edge of the village, Toothless joined them. Toothless looked content to simply follow them, and only watched curiously as Harry started casting a detection spell.

He made it more flashy for Hiccup's sake, making swirls of blue light around his hand even though it was completely unnecessary. The shine in Hiccup's eyes delighted him, and just to have fun, he fashioned an orb out of blue light, spelling it to follow Hiccup's side.

Hiccup's eyes were wide, "Is that hard to do?"

"Nope," said Harry, cheerfully, waving his hand and spelling the orb to do a couple lazy circles around Hiccup's head. Hiccup watched it with fascination, and then laughed as Harry spelled it to dance around Toothless. Toothless reared his head back, growling at the light and then stilling when it showed it was harmless. They walked the rest of the way like that, with Toothless trying to catch the blue light but utterly failing.

"What are we looking for?" asked Hiccup when they were a ways into the forest.

"Something rather silly, to be honest," laughed Harry. "I need to find a flower that's been soaked in the moonlight's rays. I wouldn't think we could find it here, but I can feel the magic shimmering in the air."

"What does that mean?"

Harry hummed, thinking of a proper way to explain it to someone who couldn't feel magic. "It's strange, your world. It's very unlike mine, but in some ways, it's extremely similar. The magic here feels just like mine, just stronger? It's very hard to explain."

Hiccup's brows were furrowed as he tried to understand Harry's explanation, and they were promptly startled when Toothless suddenly jumped forward, just barely missing the playful blue orb. He bumped into Hiccup as he did so, and Hiccup fell forward, Harry just barely catching him.

"Careful," said Harry, "Wouldn't want you to fall now."

Hiccup made a face at his words, but pushed away all the same.

"I can fix that, you know. Your foot."

"What's with you and offering to fix everything?" asked Hiccup, playfully bumping his shoulder into Harry's. "You have a savior complex, don't you?"

Harry coughed awkwardly, "You don't even know half of it."

"Not going to explain yourself, are you?"

He thought of Sirius, and how he had risked everything to get his godfather out of jail and subsequently killed him because he had wanted to save him from Voldemort so badly that he had misinterpreted the dreams he had been getting. He thought of Hogwarts, his home, ravaged beyond belief because he _couldn't_ save them all from Voldemort. He thought of Hermonie and Ron, asleep in the ground somewhere because old age was the one thing he could not save them from.

"Nope," he said, as cheerfully as he could muster.

Hiccup huffed, "Well, you don't need to save me, Harry. This gets the job done. And besides, it's kinda like a trophy."

"A trophy?"

Hiccup looked wistful, "Like a marker between my past self and who I am now."

Harry was suddenly reminded that although Hiccup looked soft and was younger than him by ages didn't mean that Hiccup hadn't experienced his share of losses. This wasn't his time, when most kids were given sheltered lives; Hiccup was a Viking and had been probably fighting battles since he was young.

He was reaching out before he even knew what he was doing, drawing Hiccup into a hug. Hiccup stiffened at his touch, but let himself be pulled anyway, probably sensing that Harry needed this more than he did.

"It hasn't been easy for you, has it?" he asked lowly, and Hiccup let out a shaky breath.

"No," he said, softly, "but it hasn't been easy for you, either, right?"

"It's been a long time since I truly grieved," he said, honestly.

"My father," said Hiccup after a long silence, "he died protecting me. Because I was rash and stupid and thought I could take on the world without any consequences. Even though I had _this,_" he paused to point sadly down at his missing foot, "to remind me that sometimes fairytales don't turn out okay and that people _die_ because they try to be a hero."

"My parents died protecting me," he offered up, because he was in a different world and there was no reason he couldn't be honest. "They died and made me a hero in the process."

"It's not very fun being a hero, is it," asked Hiccup, and Harry shook his head in agreement.

"I don't know exactly what happened," started Harry, a bit hesitantly, but when Hiccup didn't move to shush him, he continued. "But you can't possibly blame yourself for what happened, Hiccup. Your father loved you, enough that he was willing to sacrifice himself for you."

"You didn't even know him," Hiccup protested, his voice rough.

"Parents are the same in every world, Hiccup," he said, startling out a miserable laugh from the boy pressed up against his side.

"I spent my childhood wishing I was born in a different family. To a father who would listen to me and hear my words, to understand where I was coming from. And I got it, I got his acceptance, his guidance, his love, and because he accepted me and listened to me, he lost his life. Sometimes I think it would've been better if I stayed unnoticed, stayed the scrawny boy that everyone thought was unfit to be a chief, because then he'll still be _here_ and I'll still have him." His voice broke as soon as he finished talking, and he let out a distressed sob, letting Harry pull him closer in a move to comfort him.

"You haven't cried, have you," he said knowingly. "I'm here, Hiccup, you don't have to be strong for me. Let it all out now and you'll feel better afterward, promise."

Hiccup protested quietly, but he obeyed anyway, and Harry pulled them comfortably downward into a sitting position, his back pressed flush against a tree's trunk.

He stroked the boy's hair softly, wondering absently if this was the reason he had been sent here. To guide Hiccup and to comfort him from grief that threatened to overwhelm him.

"I lost my godfather because I was stupid. Thought I could save him, wanted to play hero even though everyone was telling me not to. I miss him, everyday, even now, but I've made my acceptances. Sirius would have never wanted me to live the rest of my life in sorrow, Hiccup, he would have wanted me to get married, to live a life that was _worth_ living."

He felt a pang of pain at the thought of his godfather, of what he would think of Harry now, stuck in a different world after decades of playing Merlin's knight. Decades of killing those who needed to be killed and living far beyond the time that had been given to him.

"Your father would have wanted the same," said Harry, soothingly.

"He wanted me to marry Astrid," Hiccup mumbled into Harry's chest. "And I did too, wanted to make him proud of who I was. But now all I feel is pain when I see her. I think I blame her, somewhat, blame her for not stopping me, blame her for letting my dad die. And isn't that so wrong? It's not her fault, it's mine, and yet I'm taking it out on her. I loved her, more than the whole world, and I let her go because I'm not strong enough for her."

"You don't have to be strong for anyone, Hiccup," said Harry. "I used to think the same way. I bottled up my pain at my godfather's death, and alienated my friends. I was utterly miserable, and it wasn't until they showed me that they were there for me and didn't need me to stay strong that I finally got better. She just wants to help, you know. Your whole village wants to."

"They don't," said Hiccup, miserably. "They hate me. I killed their chief, and I'm a lousy substitute for my dad."

Harry shifted, causing Hiccup to blink eyelashes wet with tears at him in curiosity. Harry smiled gently, before concentrating his power and Conjuring up a red flower in the likeness of the one Hiccup had been given earlier. "I'll argue you on that point," he said, brushing Hiccup's hair aside and slotting the red flower behind his ear.

Hiccup smiled, although shakily, and Harry's heart soared at the sight.

Even though this probably wasn't what he was sent here for, he couldn't help feeling as if he was on the right path. Because it couldn't be coincidence that Hiccup was the one to find him, and it couldn't be just coincidence that Hiccup was a mess just like Harry had been all those years ago.

It was obvious now to him why he was here. He had to shape and guide Hiccup, and he certainly wasn't going to fail his last task as Merlin's Knight.

Especially when it wasn't such a hardship at all to be Hiccup's friend.

* * *

A/N: I'll be honest here, I still haven't written an outline for this story. I know where i'm generally going with it, but other than that, it's going to be a bumpy ride XD. Update schedule on the other hand...going to be spotty at best! I'm truly sorry, but I'm bogged down with fic exchanges and with another Harry Potter story (this time featuring a Harry Potter AU with HP/TR or HPLV (Harry x Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort) as the main pairing)

But seriously, you guys get this chapter because you guys are oh so lovely with the feedback! I'll try my best to fit in some time for this story as well :)

Hope you guys enjoyed! Thank you for reading and don't forget to review and fav and alert ^^


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